For a song...
...the truth is out (of) there…

(column by Namit Sharma)

False history gets made all day, any day; the truth of the new is never on the news, or so remarked Adrienne Rich, acclaimed American writer. And with the legendary John Le Carré’s latest offering, The Mission Song, come to light once again the unsightly elements of greed, power and conspiratorial voracity that have perennially characterised the countenance of international political climate.

The backdrop this time is the troubled lands of Africa, and Le Carré’s narrative has as its protagonist Bruno ‘Salvo’ Salvador, described by those around as, “the natural son of a bog Irish Roman Catholic missionary and a Congolese village woman whose name had vanished for ever in the ravages of war and time,” who finds himself endowed with a penchant for languages as a child in Congo. The affinity eventually culminates in choice of vocation for Salvo, when he begins work in London as an interpreter and translator of not-so-common African dialects for British hospitals, businesses and – hold your breath – the country’s intelligence! Even though prospects seem to gleam for the ‘top interpreter’ (a selfadorned title he proudly affixes as a testament to his prowess in the art) – skill, good looks and marriage with a charming reporter, Salvo doesn’t quite interpret, so to speak, an escalating yearning for a purpose coupled with a burning quest for his true identity. To further matters, our hero rediscovers amour in a spirited Congolese nurse, Hannah, who envisions a time when she will return to a harmonious country, not the pillaged state that Congo has transmuted into.

Hannah’s moral rectitude springs in Salvo the sense of direction he has thus far craved for, and almost as though by a bizarre quirk of providence, his interpreter services are enlisted by a furtive English organisation to comprehend proceedings at a high-level meet on a remote island on the North Sea, where British officials, African gang honchos, and a prominent Congolese leader are supposedly looking to thrash out a solution to the prevailing strife in the nation. Salvo’s noble sense of mission is soon dreadfully appalled, as he deciphers the ‘real’ motive underlying the discussions, of realizing individual agenda via the arrangement by twisting diplomacy to an excruciating extent of diabolic double-facedness.

Salvo then chooses to sabotage the hideous harbingers of apocalypse that he has witnessed, barely aware of the irony in circumstances as he unwittingly beseeches the very perpetrators of conflict for justice. Veteran cold war espionage author John Le Carré proves why, even past the age of 70, he is the master of the genre, while reflecting the stark reality in presentday Africa. And though the initial third of the book meanders along with trifling relevance to the principal premise, the latter half is worth the patience.

The author recently expressed, “The Congo has been Africa’s greatest loser, and I am drawn to losers: Colonised and exploited by Arabs, who jointly with tribal chiefs and the Portuguese got the slave trade going; horribly colonised by Belgium’s Leopold, and now permanently the battlefield for other people’s wars; cursed with vast mineral deposits and a dismal infrastructure… and a sitting target for all the world’s carpetbaggers.” The theme of his latest endeavour resonates severely in consonance with the contemporary political landscape in several regions across the globe. With the suffusing missive that bureaucracy are never to be entrusted with blind belief, The Mission Song has more the makings of an anthem…

Book Extract

My name is Bruno Salvador. My friends call me Salvo, so do my enemies. Contrary to what anybody may tell you, I am a citizen in good standing of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and by profession a top interpreter of Swahili and the lesser-known but widely spoken languages of the Eastern Congo, formerly under Belgian rule, hence my mastery of French, a further arrow in my professional quiver. I am a familiar face around the London law courts – both civil and criminal, and in regular demand at conferences on Third World matters; see my glowing references from many of our nation's finest corporate names. Due to my special skills, I have also been called upon to do my patriotic duty on a confidential basis by a government department whose existence is routinely denied.

(End of Namit Sharma column)

Blah-Blah!
He dunnit, again…

(column by Pooja Priyadarshini)

Aamir’s comic timing warrants producers laugh all the way to the bank! After Andaaz Apna Apna and Ishq, and the very-funny DJ in RDB, he will be seen in a comic role in Lajjo, based on Ismat Chugtai’s short story of the same name. Rumours have it that he’s been offered a humongous Rs.13 crores for the jester’s role. With those rave reviews for Rang de... and the news of its official entry into Oscars, he must any-way not be able to wipe that grin off his face!

Jolie good times!

After a good vacation with family, Angie has not only come back with A Mighty Heart, but is also to be gracing the cover of Vogue soon. Reportedly, Jolie’s sexiest pictures till date, the UN Goodwill Ambassador sure knows what’s good for her fans!

Haiti is in France!

Our blah-blah queen’s brainpower (lessness) has again come under analysis (though, that’s an unnecessary requirement, we know!). As part of promotions for www.ecoist.com, Paris Hilton was supposed to visit Haiti, which she thought was in France, since people there spoke French! She was even set to spend her weekend at Paris! Oh Paris, when would you start thinking beyond yourself??

Peer pressure cracks Jess!

Smaller of the Simpson sisters, Ashlee Simpson has recently made an on-stage debut as Roxie Hart in the long running musical Chicago. Although it was not a blast in the Hollywood circle, her performance didn’t go unnoticed! In fact, her sister Jessica claimed that Ashlee infused life into the character of Roxie to make it so real that she could just not stop crying! Though she was spotted storming out of the after-show party. C’mon now, let’s be a sporting and supporting sibling, Jess...

Totally Frank!

Yash Raj films have managed yet another accomplishment by featuring Frank Lampard in their upcoming movie, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. They tied up with a premier football club of UK – The Chelsea – which happens to be AB Junior’s favourite team in the movie, and otherwise too! Between Abhishek and Lampard, in the movie, are also AB Sr., Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta... Let’s see who scores the most attention!

Keira's out of touch!

Voted as the greatest starlet ever, success seems to be eating into Keira Knightley! The Pirates of the Caribbean star, set to star in The Best Times of Our Lives – a movie by playwright mom Sharman Macdonald – seems to vanishing in thin air by the day! Keira, rake-thin is no longer in (or on) vogue...

Connery is still competition, Craig! ‘Is Daniel Craig ready to be the world’s sexiest spy?’ While Parade finds answer to this question, the latest poll conducted by the SFX magazine, Sir Sean Connery has already been voted the Best Bond of all times and his film – Goldfinger – the best movie of the series. Unless Craig finds time off modeling for magazine covers, he’d have a tough time standing up to the best one...

Trespassing again

Bet every Indian thinks President Musharraf is pushing his luck now! Between his other bureaucratic bungles, he finds time to pen ‘In the Line of Fire’, and on that, almost schizophrenically, blames India for the Kargil misadventure! With such truancy of mind, the President may please be reminded about a coup in the neighbouring country.

(End of Pooja Priyadarshini column)